Saturday, September 27, 2008

Growing up on the pecan orchard my mom always loved to cook with pecans. We ate them on everything!I think people tend to always place pecans into the "dessert" category and don't get me wrong, a well cooked pecan pie is amazing but pecans are much more versatile than that. I would love to share with you a few of the recipes that are my personal favorites. See my "Mouth Watering Pecan Recipes" post. For many more scrumptious recipes visit the Texas Pecan Growers Association website.

Do you want to pump up that juicy steak and add some flare? Your friends will rave about this cookout idea!

This is such a simple concept that, to tell the truth, I have never put measurements to it. Don't panic though; cook or not anyone can make this.

INGREDIENTS:

Butter

Onions (diced)

Mushrooms (washed and sliced)

South Country Pecans (chopped)

Salt

Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Heat a sauté pan on medium heat until the pan becomes hot. Melt the butter in the pan. Now add in your chopped pecans. Keep the pan low enough to be sure that your butter does not burn. Soon after you add the pecans add the onions. Let cook for a few minutes and them add the mushrooms. Cook on medium heat until the onions are translucent and the pecans are nice and toasty. Add salt and pepper to taste.

I did not include measurements because I want you to make this recipe to fit your liking. You make want to use one large onion or even two depending on the number of steaks to top and how many onions you prefer.

Now it is time to enjoy! Pile as much of this topping as you desire onto your steak. No need for A-1! The buttery toasted pecans add great flavor to your meal.

Feel free to play with this recipe. My husband hates mushrooms so I leave them out. You can't mess it up!

Pecan Streusel Sweet Potatoes

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups mashed sweet potatoes

2 tsp. vanilla

1 ½ cups sugar

4 eggs beaten

2 sticks butter

5oz Pet Milk

STREUSEL INGREDIENTS:

1 ½ cups light brown sugar

1 cup flour

2/3 cup melted butter

2 cups chopped South Country Pecans

DIRECTIONS:

Mix the first 6 sweet potato ingredients and put into a greased 9x13 casserole dish. Mix the streusel ingredients and put on top. Bake in a 350 ° Fahrenheit, preheated oven for 30 minutes – or until top is brown and sweet potatoes are bubbly. Serves 12 people. You may half this recipe and cook in a 9x9 glass casserole – then it will serve 6 people.

Pecan Banana Bread

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup butter

1 ½ cups sugar

2 eggs

4 tablespoons buttermilk

1 ½ cups flour

1 teaspoon soda

3 large ripe bananas, mashed

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped South Country Pecans

DIRECTIONS:

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, buttermilk, flour, soda, bananas, vanilla, and pecans. Mix well. Pour into 1 greased 9x5 inch long pan or 2 small long pans. Bake at 275° to 300° Fahrenheit for 1 hour. *NOTE: I don't always have buttermilk on hand so I use the powdered buttermilk. Just follow the directions on the can to make the substitution.

*NOTE: The secret to a good pecan pie is in the baking. I set the timer for 25 minutes and rotate my pie so it will cook evenly. I start checking the pie often around 40 minutes with a meat thermometer. The pie is ready when it reaches an internal temperature of 190°. Take it from the oven when it reaches 190° and set it on a rack to cool. You will have a perfectly cooked pecan pie!

Pumpkin Bread

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup butter, softened

3 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 can (16oz) solid pack pumpkin

3 cups sifted flour

1 cup chopped South Country Pecans

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon cloves

½ teaspoon nutmeg

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Cream butter and add sugar gradually. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add pumpkin, mixing to combine well. Sift together flour, salt, soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Blend with pumpkin mixture. Add pecans. Pour batter into 2 greased 9x5 long pans. Bake 60-65 minutes or until the center is done. *NOTE: To test for doneness you may insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf. It the toothpick comes out clean then it is done. Let stand 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool. *NOTE: This is a great recipe to give as a gift. I usually use my small long pans when I am giving it away. My small pans measure 5 ¾ x 3 x 2 1/8.

Pecan Cooking Demonstrations

I hope you enjoy watching these videos I found on You Tube. They show folks cooking up some great food using pecans!

Betty's Pecan-Crusted Oven-Broiled Chicken Breasts Recipe

Toasted Pecan Burger Recipe - Stubb's Legendary Kitchen

Make Roast and Candy Nuts - Cat Cora for Cooking.com

Sandra Lee - Pecan Cinnamon Angel Food Cake

Pecans For Sale!!!

Well, harvest season is upon us and it is time to begin thinking about how many pounds you would like to order. Think carefully because once I deliver your pecans I make no guarantees that I will be able to get you any more pecans until possibly later in the season.Now I say this because every year, without fail, I deliver all my orders and within a few short days the calls begin. Everybody wants to order more! So, I am telling you ahead of time, these pecans are the highest quality you can find and at a great price.Their color and flavor are amazing.You WILL want more!Consider the many things you can do with pecans and always order a little more that you think you will use. They will be gone before you know it!